Americas News
FOBAS Alert: High Water in Fuels from Balboa, Panama
Recently FOBAS has tested a number of fuel oil samples from Balboa, Panama, that exceeded the 0.50% limit for Water as stipulated in the ISO 8217:2017 specification. The samples were found to have water contents ranging between 0.90 and 1.10 %.
Water at these levels would be expected to be manageable during effective onboard treatments, however would still be a concern and could also have commercial implications.
If high water is found in a bunker fuel then further samples should be taken from the top, middle and bottom of the respective bunker tank(s) to determine the distribution of water through the tank. Further to this, samples can be taken from before and after the purifier as well as engine entry to determine the reduction of water to acceptable levels (0.20%) before engine entry.
Any carry over of water into the engine fuel rail can cause possible damage to the fuel pumps, injectors and cylinder components as well as possible turbo charger surging and fouling.
If your ships are planning to bunker in this port then we suggest that the supplier is asked to provide a certificate of quality of the particular stem to ensure that the water concentration is known at the time of bunkering and within the limits of stipulated grade. Particular attention should be given to the collection of a fully representative drip samples ensuring all supporting documentation and samples drawn are witnessed and signed for by all parties present.
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